No. 4 Penn State women’s soccer beat No. 9 West Virginia 1-0 Friday night in the team’s season opener at Jeffrey Field.
Shea Moyer scored the game-winning goal for Erica Dambach’s Nittany Lions in the 80th minute of a rainy contest.
How It Happened
Penn State didn’t manage a shot attempt until the 44th minute, but a veteran defense composed of captain Maddie Nolf, Ellie Jean, Kaleigh Riehl, and Alina Ortega Jurado protected junior goalkeeper Amanda Dennis from too much work in the first half.
The Mountaineers and Nittany Lions headed into the locker room tied 0-0, with West Virginia recording five shots to Penn State’s one. Frankie Tagliaferri and freshman Kim Dubs made their first appearances of the season coming off the bench. Both remained in the lineup after the intermission.
The stalemate continued through the early part of the second half before Ortega Jurado was injured on a play in Penn State’s box. After the training staff checked on her for a few minutes, she walked off under her own power as junior defender Laura Suero took her place.
Making her first career start, Moyer finally broke through for the Nittany Lions in the 80th minute, beating West Virginia goalkeeper Rylee Foster from 14 yards out.
“It actually came off of a counter-press moment,” Dambach said of Moyer’s goal. “They tried to play out and she stepped in and won it, and obviously just tucked it away in the corner.”
Dambach and Amanda Dennis both mentioned “grit” postgame as a determining factor in Penn State’s victory.
“We showed more grit than this West Virginia team tonight, and that’s what we’re going to keep bringing every single game this season and goals like that will just keep on happening,” Dennis said. “This 2018 team is really something special.”
Player of the Match
Shea Moyer | Sophomore | Midfielder
The Wyomissing, Pa., native delivered the decisive strike in a hard-fought win for the Nittany Lions.
What’s Next?
Penn State (1-0) returns to Jeffrey Field Sunday at 2:30 p.m. when it hosts Duquesne in the final game of the Penn State Invitational.
